Start Your Own WordPress Blog

Let’s talk about blogging today, shall we?! I’d actually like to focus on WordPress and lucky for all of us, it is seen as the leader in blogs, with Google Blogger trailing right behind. The reason why WordPress is seen in a higher light (over Google Blogger and other blog services, like Typepad) is because it provides you with a Web site based blog, which gives you many pages to work with, just like a Web site does! For this reason, you may see Web site owners using WordPress to run their site, rather than spending hours and hours creating, editing and uploading HTML codes.

WordPress has two options to get started with. For one, you can install the WordPress software on your own server. To do this, you will need to purchase a Web host and a domain name. Keep in mind that the Web host you use must support MySQL and PHP formats. However, there is a much easier option and in this article, I will show you how to create a WordPress blog that will be hosted completely free of charge on the WordPress server. Now, this means the URL (the Web address) you’ll use will go like this: http://yourblognamehere.wordpress.com.

Once you have signed up, you will be provided with a user area, called a dashboard, where you can add new posts, edit blog settings, add users and change the look of your blog with the many great themes provided. You can also choose your own custom sidebars, which is where you can add extra widgets to totally customize your blog for your visitors!

So, allow me to show you how you can get your own blog name. Here we go!

You will first need to create an account with WordPress and then you will be able to register for a blog. To do this, just follow these simple steps:

Step One:

Open your Web browser and navigate to www.wordpress.com by typing it into the address bar.

You will now create a user account with WordPress. Choose a username and add your e-mail address where you want your password to be sent to. Then read the terms and conditions and checkmark the box to say you agree before clicking the big Next button.

Step Four:

You will now be able to create your first blog. Now, there are a few points you may want to address before doing this:

What is your blog going to be about?

What title will you give the blog? A good tip for this is to create a name that will stick in the reader’s mind. A blog called “Simon North’s Blog” is not a good name. It needs to be a little more exciting than that! Also, make sure the name you choose is relevant to the blog content.

What do you want your visitor rate to be? If you want to aim high, you’ll need to be prepared to put the work in. It is not good to start a blog, have a couple of posts and never update it. There is nothing worse than a dead blog!

Alright, now onto creating your blog. You will be taken to the next page in the wizard. Add a domain name first. By default, this will be set to your username, but simply highlight the text, delete it and then add your own choice of domain name. You can make this one catchy too, so that the user will never forget it.

Next, give your blog a title and set your language. Then choose whether or not you want to have your blog seen by search engines and then click the Sign Up button.

Step Five:

You will then be sent an e-mail to the e-mail address you specified in the sign up process. So, go to your e-mail account and open the e-mail from WordPress and click the Activation link. You need to do this before you can do anything else with your blog.

You will then be taken to a page where you can see your username and the password that has been assigned to your account. Remember that password, but you can always change it later if you wish.

Step Six:

You now have your very own blog! To log in and start posting, go to WordPress’ Web site again and log in with the username and password you have. You will be taken to a dashboard and from there, you will be able to add a post or page, manage your options, choose a theme and keep up to date with visitor statistics.

I hope you enjoy using the best blogging tool on the Internet today. And don’t forget, have fun with it!

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